Robert and Cora sat together a little closer than was respectable. They weren't concerned, though. Even if Violet hadn't been completely engrossed in Rosamund's tale of drunken mayhem at Downton, Robert wasn't sure she'd be able to remember such a little detail in the morning. Carefully, he curled his arm around Cora's waist and pressed a kiss to her temple. His flirtations were on hold since there wasn't a table to give him the necessary cover, but that didn't mean that he was through with his fun. It was merely on hold. As his wife relaxed into him, Robert smiled as he took the last sip of his drink. He thought about how unsuspecting she was and how her surprise would make things even more enjoyable. He loved that, after all their years together, he could still take her by surprise with his romantic attentions - or antics. He wasn't quite sure which category his actions that evening were falling into. Cora giggled at Rosamund's story and Robert smiled. "Robert!" Cora looked up at him with a coquettish smile. "I can't believe what I'm hearing! I never knew you had this wild side."

"That's because you domesticated me, my dearest," he said. "I came back home a respectable, married man." Cora sighed. She wasn't sure she liked that answer. She wanted to excite him. For the past several years, she'd felt like she'd bored him. She tried to put it out of her mind as she finished her drink.

"Oh, the story gets better" Rosamund said to Cora. "Since Percy Hawthorne had lost the card game, he had to take up the dare and the dare was to ride down to the village and back naked. So, after another glass of Papa's best bourbon, he hid behind a bush, stripped down, and off he went wearing nothing but his boots and a smile. Robert and Anderson Wrenquist decided they'd better follow him to make sure he really did go all the way down to the village instead of just hiding in the woods at the edge of the grounds for a while and then coming back."

"That was, without a doubt, the worst view I have ever had on any ride I've ever taken to this day." Robert said with a chuckle.

"I can imagine," Rosamund said smirking. "He was quite chubby, as I recall." Robert nodded in agreement. "Anyway," Rosamund said returning to her story, "the three of them are riding around under the assumption that it was so late that no one would be out. What none of us knew was that that night Amanda Carter had had a baby and Dr. Lennox was on his way back home after the delivery when a portly young man without any clothes on came galloping past him soon to be followed by his two laughing, inebriated friends. Dr. Lennox knew which house they were coming from. Downton was the only house in this direction for miles. Also, since it was a full moon, he was able to recognize them. Well, he went straight to the home of his cousin, the man who ran the telegraph office, and had him send an urgent message to Mama and Papa in London and they were on the first train back the next morning." Rosamund punctuated the end of her portion of the story by taking a drink.

"Oh, what a state the place was in and the servants had been up all night trying to keep it under control. They were simply overwhelmed by the hoard of drunken fools my darling children and their friends turned into under the influence of a full moon and strong spirits." Violet said shaking her head. "And imagine my surprise when, upon entering our dining room, I found my son - my quiet, dutiful, reserved, well-mannered son - passed out face down on the table, clad only in his long johns, with 'Hello, Ladies!' written across his backside." The four erupted into laughter. "You never did tell us how you came to be there in the first place." Violet said to Robert as her laughter subsided.

"I don't have the slightest recollection. I truly don't remember much after that ride."

"So your last clear memory of that evening is the rear view of a naked Percy Hawthorne on a horse?"Rosamund asked.

"That it is," Robert replied with a frown.

"Oh, you poor thing," Rosamund said shaking her head and grimacing. "Oh, Robert, I am sorry."

"I don't even remember how we got old Percy back in the house." Robert said.

"That's because you didn't," Violet said flatly. "Our first surprise upon returning to Downton was finding poor Percy - still in the nude, mind you - curled up on the doorstep asleep, face down and bottom in the air." Laughter rang through the room again. Momentarily, the Dowager Countess managed to affect her usual stern expression. "Not the most dignified welcome I've ever been treated to."

Robert chuckled. "No, I would imagine it wasn't."

Cora giggled. "What ever happened to poor Percy?" she asked Violet with an amused smile.

"He married Melissa Beaumont and got involved in politics. He's currently serving in the House of Lords." Violet sighed. "It doesn't exactly fill you with confidence in those running the empire, does it?" She took a sip from her glass.

Robert stretched and removed his arm from around Cora's waist. As his hand passed behind her, he managed to untie the bow in the black sash around her waist without her noticing. He smiled to himself as he stood and turned to Rosamund. "Is there enough champaign for one more drink."

"I think there's probably just enough, but I doubt I can manage making one for you," Rosamund said.

"Oh, that's alright," Robert said. He sensed his long awaited opportunity to get his hands on his wife was approaching. "You left the recipe over there, maybe Cora could try her hand at mixing cocktails?" He held his hand out to his wife. She slowly got to her feet and he lead her over to the table. He was careful to position her so that her back was facing away from their guests. As they figured out what the contents of the various bottles were, Robert knocked the recipe off the table. "I'll get it, dear," he said and reached down to pick up it up He retrieved the piece of paper with his left hand while his right hand found its way up the back of Cora's dress. He handed her the recipe at the same time he cupped her bottom beneath her skirts. She gasped and looked at Robert stunned and a little apprehensive.

"They'll suspect," she murmured softly. She looked nervously at Rosamund and Violet as they sat on a sofa talking amongst themselves.

"They won't think anything's out of the ordinary as long as you're quiet," he whispered. She nodded and started to mix the drink as Robert palmed her backside. Her husband's groping was making her blush, but aside from that she was sure she could handle his attentions with little effort. Just as she bent forward and reached for the gin, his fingers slipped between her legs. He was in a better position now than he had been earlier in the evening and his gentle fondling was having a much greater effect this time around. She moaned softly and gripped the table. Her hands shook as she measured out the gin. When she tried to shake the cocktail her knees buckled. She put down the shaker and tried to steady herself. Robert supported her and delighted in seeing the results of his touch reveal themselves in Cora's features. The color in her face rose. Her eyes were half closed. Her breathing was heavy and she bit her lip to stifle her whimpers. He leaned in close and whispered in her ear. "My God, Cora, you are exquisite. You could not be more beautiful." She closed her eyes and smiled. "I can't spend another night just dreaming about our passions. I want you. I need you, my darling, I need you." He felt her tremble as he gently kissed her neck and withdrew his hand from her under her dress as she gave a soft sigh.

"Robert," she cooed as their eyes met. He put both hands on her shoulders and pulled her into a kiss. As they kissed, his figures quickly unfastened one of the three buttons on either shoulder of her dress. His lips muffled her 'no'.

"What on earth is taking you two so long," Rosamund asked turning to look at them just after they'd pulled apart.

"We'll be there in a minute," Robert said shaking up the concoction, pouring into his glass, and topping it off with the rest of the champaign. It was an awful drink - watery and poorly measured - but that secretly intimate moment with Cora more than compensated for the ruined cocktail. He took his wife's arm and lead her back to the sofa and the conversation continued on.

After a while Rosamund turned to her mother. "Shall I ring for Carson and ask him to send for a car?"

"I believe you should," Violet said as she tried and failed to stand. "At this rate I might have ask him to carry me to it as well."

A/N Though the title of the chapter is The Last Cocktail, there will actually be two more chapters. I didn't want you to think I'd left it without a proper ending.